1936 On the Continent

picturesque old streets and also the cathedral where Ulrich Zwingli, the great reformer, preached. In the Kirchgasse, near the cathedral, can be seen the house where Zwingli lived. Zürich became the refuge of many English people who fled from the persecution of Mary Tudor and settled there permanently. Another church worth visiting is the Fraumünster on the opposite side of the river.
Zürich
    Zürich has played a very important part in the history of the Confederation, which it joined in 1351, and has always been one of the most powerful cantons. Many historic meetings have taken place at the old town hall. There are also many fine modern buildings, including, the Stock Exchange and the Tonhalle (concert hall). Even though the traveller may wish to avoid museums, we recommend a visit to the Landesmuseum (Swiss National Museum), which is unique and contains much of interest. Zürich also has numerous fine shops.
    It is a convenient centre from which to explore the surrounding country. The nearest point of interest is the Uetliberg, just outside Zürich, which can be ascended by mountain railway from Selnau, but energetic people can walk up from Giesshübel. The view from the top, embracing the Black Forest, the Jura, the mountains of Appenzell and the high peaks of the Bernese Oberland, is well worth the effort. Other excursions can be made to Wädenswil and further along the shores of the lake to Lachen, which is at the entrance to the charming Wäggi valley.
The “Black Virgin”
    Einsiedeln can be reached either from Pfäffikon or Wädenswil, and is a place of pilgrimage for thousands who go to pray to the “Black Virgin,” who was brought to Einsiedeln by the hermit Meinrade and set up in the Benedictine Abbey of St. Mary about 948. This has since been rebuilt and is a very striking edifice. Einsiedeln is also a suitable centre for mountaineering and for winter sports. From Pfäffikon we cross the lake to Rapperswil, where there is a fourteenth-century castle and some even older buildings. At Meilen, further along the lakeside, were found remnants of prehistoric lake dwellings. We now continue to Zürich, where we get on the train for Schaffhausen, which is frequently referred to as “the Nuremberg of Switzerland.”
    This is a fine example of a medieval town with houses with turrets and gabled roofs, clustering close together, all dominated by the grim castle on the hill. The view from the river is exceedingly picturesque. Some of the houses still have paintings on the outside, and much of Schaffhausen is still quite unspoiled. A visit should certainly be paid to the cathedral, which was built about 1100. The bell in the cloisters, which was cast in 1486 and bears the inscription “Vivos voco, mortuos plango, fulgura frango” (The living I call, the dead I bewail, the thunderbolts I break), inspired Schiller to write his
Lay of the Bell
, which Longfellow rendered into English. From Schaffhausen a ride on the tram brings us to Neuhausen on the northern bank of the Rhine just above the famous Rhine Falls. One of the finest views of the falls can beobtained from the grounds of the Castle of Laufen, and the white, foaming cascade of water which is 340 feet wide and 100 feet high is an overwhelming sight. Galleries and footpaths have been provided to enable the falls to be watched from close at hand, and the refraction of the sunlight through the waterspray is unbelievably beautiful. Returning to Schaffhausen, we journey by lake steamer along the Rhine to the Lake of Konstanz. We cross the lower lake, which narrows to the width of a river before we reach the lake proper, which is about 10 miles wide, The northern shore is German and the southern Swiss, with the exception of Konstanz which is German. However, this town has played an important part in Swiss history and, apart from this, is worth a visit for the sake of its old buildings and quaint streets. From 1414 to 1418 it was the venue of the Council of Constance, which was convened in order to reform the Church, as at that time there were three anti-Popes and the whole edifice of the Church was tottering. One of the acts that has brought opprobrium on the Council is the condemnation of John Huss to the stake, in spite of the fact that he had been granted a safe conduct.
History and Folk-lore
    From Konstanz we can proceed by train to Landquart, but for those who have time there are many interesting places to visit on the way. From Romanshorn a branch line